Happy Veteran's Day!

I spent my Veteran's Day on call, which makes for a very long day! But we capped the evening off with dinner at Applebee's - they had free entrees for veterans. Thank you, Applebee's! And now I'm settling down before bed. Before I call it a night, though, I want to send a great big thank you out to all of you who have served in the military, or who have family that have served.

And, may God make me ever mindful of the sacrifices of thousands of men and women who protect our freedom every single day.

Surprises in the Mail!

Earlier this week I got an unpleasant surprise from the cat -and today I got a very pleasant surprise in the mail! As it turns out, I won one of the giveaways from Karen at Little Pieces of My Life. See the pretty parcel wrapped in tissue paper? It was tied with the sweetest little pink ribbon you have ever seen!

And when I opened the package, it contained a lovely vintage ivory-colored apron embellished with blue and red stitchery, and a "Quilter on the Move" luggage tag AND a new book! The book is "The Quilter's Kitchen" by Jennifer Chiaverini. Aren't I the luckiest person in Tennessee right now?

Even more than the package, though, I am happy about what it represents. It represents Karen's return to health, and to her life. So, thank you so much, Karen, and congratulations on your recovery! May you continue to gain strength and health with every day that passes!

And, if you're interested in participating in National Tie One On Day, you can read more about it at Karen's blog. She even has a link to an easy apron pattern - it's worth a look!

Beware Cats Bearing Gifts

I have the most loving cat on the planet. She loves to snuggle, and gives sweet little kitty kisses and brings gifts. And who doesn't love gifts? Anybody who's ever had a generous cat, that's who!

It's getting colder here, and when it's cold the poor little field mice start coveting the warm interior of the house - or, at least, the sheltered area on the porch. The cat found one of those little mice on the porch and she brought it inside. To share. While it was still alive. You know where this is going, don't you?

Yep, she let the mouse go. In the house. There's a live field mouse running around in here. Yay. Now I have to find some chihuahua-proof mousetraps. Wish me luck!

Tragedy at Ft Hood

I'm sure you've all heard of the tragic shootings that took place today at Ft. Hood, Texas. My prayers go out to all the soldiers and their families affected by this. My oldest son is stationed there, and he called earlier today to let all of us know he's okay. And we've been fielding calls all afternoon from family members who are worried about Joshua.

And then, on the news, I heard that one of the shooters was an army physician - a mental health specialist - who was afraid to deploy. Now I don't blame anybody for not wanting to deploy - not for one second. But how in the world do you justify taking the lives of the soldiers who are just as frightened as you are? Especially when you are a medical professional who is charged with protecting those soldiers?

The truth is, it makes me angry, and the more I think of it, the more angry I get. I could just scream! How dare he hurt - kill - the people he had promised to protect? As an officer and a physician, his mission was clear. I just don't understand how someone could veer that far off course.

And I'm left back where I started, praying for the young men and women who have been affected by this dereliction of duty, and for their families who may, even now, be awaiting word of their loved one's fate. And shaking my head at the madness.

What's For Dinner?

What are you having for dinner? I had some leftover roast chicken (from the Kroger deli - I did NOT try to do a roast chicken dinner midweek!), and we decided to make some chicken stock. It has simmered all morning and the house smells lovely, and I found this wonderful recipe: Chicken Corn Chowder.

I think I'll pair it with some rustic bread and maybe a little bit of shredded cheese for the top. What's for dinner at your house?

Oh, and for my month of gratitude - I am thankful for chilly fall days and hot soup!

Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween Weekend! I love Halloween because it seems to kick off the wonderful holiday season, and this year I'll actually have time to enjoy it. It's rainy and chilly here today, though, so I'm not sure how that will affect the trick-or-treaters.

As for me, I am feeling the urge to make some caramel apples - or at least some caramel dip to eat with sliced apples! Have a great weekend, everyone!

You Know You Need These!

So, how many times have you been getting dressed, and looked at your underwear, and thought, "If only they made these for other parts of my body?" Yeah, me neither, but apparently somebody has.

Yep, some enterprising soul has invented Handerpants. The website claims that they are nontoxic (yay!) and suggests all sorts of uses - texting, cooking, cruising and sanitary handshakes. Even night blogging. I don't want to know what that is!

If that doesn't convince you, they are also said to be good for distracting enemies and great for jazz hands! I have to confess that my own jazz hands are a little wan most days and could certainly use some beefing up. And, you, too can have your very own Handerpants for less than twelve bucks. Excluding shipping.

I know you think I made this up, but I assure you that I did not. You can see the advertisement here: http://www.handerpants.com/ and the order button takes you to another site where you can order Handerpants and a set of Remote Control Hopping Yodeling Lederhosen.

So don't say I never gave you any Christmas ideas, my friends, because there are two prime ideas in ONE blog post! You can thank me later!

Catching Up and a Blog Giveaway

I am off work today, because I was on call yesterday, and I'm spending the morning catching up on blogs. When I was in school I only let myself do this every so often, and only for a few blogs at a time. Now that I'm out of school there should be more time, but I still feel that I'm playing catch-up to some extent. So, it may take awhile yet before I get back to normal!

So, I was catching up and came to Karen's blog - Karen is a long-arm quilter and her blog has some lovely quilts featured - see it here: Little Pieces of My Life. Karen has had some health problems recently and has had a long road to recovery, but it looks like she's finally made it, and to celebrate she's hosting a giveaway. Please stop by to congratulate her on her recovery and to wish her continued good health going forward.

And, as I mentioned before, I have decided to work on simplifying my life. My children are grown, I have met my professional goals and now it's time to get some balance back! So, I went to the hairdresser and asked for wash-and-go hair. Short wash-and-go hair. I've thrown in a "before" picture for comparison.


I'm still getting used to the results, but overall I am pleased. There's so much movement to this cut that the messier it is, the better it looks. My hair actually looks better after I've had it under a scrub cap all day! I can't be unhappy about that!

I have a box full of hair products for the Princess to look through - she's a girly-girl and will be delighted to play, I am sure. And I have reclaimed a lot of space in the bathroom - maybe it's time for some redecorating in there!

Taking Time to Breathe!

Well, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity! I feel like there hasn't been more than ten minutes to sit and relax for weeks now unless we were in the truck driving somewhere, and that's not exactly relaxing!

Last week was our vacation and we saw the youngest son for a glorious 36 hours. He looked good - he's taller, and heavier, and he's grown up quite a bit. Even his brothers commented on the change. He said he has no regrets about joining the Army or choosing the Infantry. And that's all I needed to hear!

We came home Sunday and I went straight back to work on Monday - and it was a busy week! The oldest son left yesterday to go back to Texas and today I have nothing on the agenda but getting the house back in order. I have this tremendous urge to simplify things - more on that later!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Aquarium Visit

We spent the day at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta today. I've been wanting to go since they acquired the elusive whale shark for their collection, and today we discovered that they actually have FOUR of them.

It is rather expensive to visit, but when you think about their food budget it balances out, I am sure. And look at these two handsome fellows I found hanging out by the tank!

We'll get to see their brother on Saturday!

The whale shark is actually a fish - here you can see them swimming in the tank. They are spotted and enormous, and they swim slowly and gracefully through the water. I could have watched them for hours.

The Georgia Aquarium also has two manta rays - you can see one of them here. They were fascinating, as well, with their underwater acrobatics! They swoop through the water in giant somersaults, their mouths open to scoop up food.

And who doesn't love a lionfish? Except folks who step on them, I imagine - all those lovely spines are venomous!

And, like every good aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium had some educational offerings, too. The one I'd like to share today is the idea of sustainable seafood. Overfishing is causing population collapses among some species, so you can go here and find out how to choose a seafood feast that won't bring a species to extinction. I know I'll be more mindful of sustainability before I make my next seafood purchase.

And we are on vacation, so I'll post again next week when we return - hopefully there will be quite a few more photos! Have a great week, everyone!

The Test is OVER!

Well, I took the board exam this morning. You get preliminary results before you leave the test center. I was absolutely certain I had failed the test - it's crazy that you can work for years for something and have it all come down to one test, isn't it? But, to my surprise, I passed!

Now, it isn't official until I get the score report in, but for the moment I can relax and enjoy my vacation! Thanks to everyone who has given me support and encouragement over the past couple of years - you guys are the greatest! Expect to be seeing a little more of me now!

A Quilt for a Princess!

Since I am heartily sick of talking about the test, I figured I would show you the quilt I made for the Princess this summer. Although you can't see them very well in these photos, the colors are purple, brown, pink and lime green.

She really seemed to like it, and it has a new home at the foot of her bed, where it matches her Hawaiian theme surprisingly well! The fabric caught my eye because it is covered in birds that look like they were drawn by Dr. Seuss - very fun and whimsical. Oh, and one of the fabrics has ladybugs scattered all over it! How can you miss, with birds and bugs?

It's machine-pieced and machine quilted. Now that I've learned the technique I simply love running a quilt through the machine! That's my new favorite part of quilting. Oh, and I also love hand-sewing the binding in place, because you get to sit with the quilt in your lap and feel how warm and cozy it will be!
And, now, dear friends, I must return to the books. Wish me luck!

Two Weeks...

...and one day 'til I take the dreaded board exam. I'm never going to get through all the material, and I'm never going to know everything I need to know, and studying like this is extremely frustrating! Wish me luck, everyone, and I'll post more later!

Phone Calls

I got a phone call from the youngest yesterday - he's just over a month into basic training now, and he sounded really good. He said he's working hard and enjoying the training.

He said he's gained ten pounds (he was really proud of that) and said the drill sergeants have said he's the smallest guy there with the biggest heart - he said, "Mom, I just don't quit!" That's my boy!

And these photos are from his company at Fort Benning - they post generic photos on the website and the wives and mothers all scan them, looking for our boys! I haven't seen Sean yet, but I've seen a couple of likely suspects - I just look for the short ones!

And I thought I'd share a few photos on this blog, because, folks, here are some of the young men who are willing to fight for your freedom. These photos show all men because it is an Infantry company, and right now women don't serve in the Infantry. In all the branches of the service, though, there are young men and women exactly like these boys - working hard to get through their training so that they can take their place in our lines of defense.

I am very proud of all of them, and I sincerely hope and pray that we all figure out a way to avoid using them in anything but humanitarian missions someday very soon. If you're the praying type, send one up for the young men and women out there fighting for all of us, no matter what our political affiliation is!